Statements like this have led the recently-appointed European Union Minister and chief negotiator Mevlut Cavusoglu to retort that the “US is well-known for its Internet restrictions, especially regarding Wikileaks,” appearing on the Turkish news

The massive Ergenekon and Balyoz trials, which helped send a large number of high-profile Turks (numerous generals among them) to jail on charges of planning a coup, were hailed by many as an important step in finally confronting the troubling history

A second audio recording, presented as the voice of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan asking his son not to accept an amount of money on offer in a business deal but to hold out for more, was published on YouTube by an anonymous poster using a pseudonym on Wednesday (26 February).

Erdoğan said a similar post on the video-sharing site on Monday, allegedly of him telling his son Bilal to dispose of large sums of cash as a graft investigation erupted, was faked by his political enemies.

The AKP government has been fervently pushing through legislation ahead of crucial local elections in March 2014 with the air of a heavily wounded giant whose actions are not the result of intelligent calculation or rationality so much as an instinct for survival.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013

Turkey is a constitutional republic with a multiparty parliamentary system and a president with limited powers. A unicameral parliament (the Grand National Assembly) exercises legislative authority. Following the 2011 parliamentary elections, which observers considered generally free and fair, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) formed a parliamentary majority under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Civilian authorities maintained effective control of the security forces, but some elements of the security forces committed human rights abuses. The most significant human rights problems during the year were: – See more at: http://ift.tt/1kfxfeI